Paper 6: M. Moloney.

Reintroduction of Caribbean flamingos to the Virgin Islands: Support systems for a successful colony on Necker Island, British Virgin Islands

Abstract

Caribbean flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) were extirpated from the Virgin Islands in the 1960s. Reintroduction efforts, begun in the 1980s, have established two colonies in the British Virgin Islands: One on the historical breeding salt ponds of Anegada numbering approximately 200, and a second averaging 300 on the adapted natural salt ponds of Sir Richard Branson’s private Necker Island as of the conclusion of this six-year study in 2014. Six roaming flamingos, part of the original reintroduction, make private Guana Island their home base. The Necker colony is free flying yet remains largely in ­situ year-round due to protected habitat, abundance of water, and supplemental feeding, allowing them to breed successfully since 2010. The reintroduction provides valuable information for restoration and reintroduction efforts in other areas where flamingos have historically been found but have not been observed of late.